Home is full of Surprises
by arwen undomiel3
Summary: Spike finally returns to Sunnydale with a surprise for Buffy, but little does he know, she has a surprise for him. Can they become friends again and who is the little girl in the park that reminds Spike so much of Buffy? Please r/r. Unfinished but v.good
1. Chapter 1

"Ok. The kitchen is closed until you can tell me something useful about the lab." Buffy snatched the mug of blood away from Spike as he drank, leaving the straw dangling from the defenceless vampires mouth. Spike sighed. "Well, it was underground. They were human; two eyes each, kind of in the middle. I came out through an air vent, I don't know exactly where." He paused and smirked. "I'm done. Put the telly on."

Buffy was getting annoyed. Spike could never give a straight answer and all he was bothered about was watching "Passions," a boring sitcom about a talking doll. _Honestly, she thought, _will he ever grow up?_ "How long are you gonna pull this?" she asked._

"How long am I gonna live once I tell you?" he shot back. Did no one ever tell him not to answer a question with a question?

The argument went on for another five minutes in a typical Spike style. Every time Buffy said something, Spike would come up with a sarcastic remark to top what she had said. Eventually Buffy got the better of him, tempting him with something she knew he couldn't have.

"Do you want something nicer?" She asked, leaning closer to him so he could feel her breath on him. "Look at my poor neck, all bare, and tender and exposed. All the blood just pumping away."

Spike was almost licking his lips and was about to go in for the kill when he realised that the chip in his head wouldn't allow it. 

"Giles make her stop!" he begged, glaring at the Slayer who was smirking at him.

"Oh please..." Giles groaned as he left the room. They were like two immature children when they were put together. Buffy turned away from Spike for a second and shouted to the ten year old girl who was sat in the living room with Willow.

"Charlotte, Charlotte! Charlotte…"

"Charlotte. Wake up Charlotte." The voice seemed closer as Charlotte opened her eyes. She found herself lying in bed, her mum sat next to her stroking her golden brown hair. She didn't know who she got that colouring from as her mum was more of a mousy brown naturally. 

"Were you dreaming again?"

Charlotte nodded. She dreamt every night. Although she never had the same dream twice they always featured the same person. The man in her dreams was tall, taller than her mum but not as tall as Giles. He had short, slicked back hair that was bleached and was white as the snow at Christmas. He dressed all in black; a black t-shirt, black jeans, black boots and a long black leather coat. The man never took his leather coat off. He was also a vampire.

"What did you dream of, Sweetie?" her mum asked. Her mum was very pretty and very, very strong. Remarkably strong, in fact. She had blonde wavy hair down to her shoulders and was very petite. She also had a funny shaped scar on her neck and would never tell Charlotte how she got it. "When you're older" she would say. Her mother was a Vampire Slayer. Her mother was the legendary Buffy Anne Summers.

"It was that man again mum. He was in the bath at Giles' old place and you two were arguing." Charlotte explained.

Buffy nodded. She remembered that argument clear as day. Later on, her and Spike had ended up getting engaged as a result of one of Willow's spells. Buffy smiled at the memory.

"What are you smiling at mum?" Charlotte asked.

"Nothing Sweetie. Now come on or you'll be late for your trip to the park with Jade."

It was strange how Charlotte always dreamt of Spike. She had never met him or seen photographs of him all her life yet she could describe him perfectly. She even quoted things he had said and often got in trouble for swearing. How Buffy wished that Spike would return so he could meet Charlotte. He would love her more than anything in the world. Buffy had often thought of writing a letter to him but then thought against it as she didn't know where to send it to. 

As she left Charlotte to get dressed she took a photo out of her jeans pocket and unfolded it. It was a picture of Spike. He had left ten years ago and never returned. Strange as it was to admit it, Buffy missed him more than anything and she carried the photo around as a constant reminder of him. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she remembered times they shared. They weren't always happy times but she loved him and that was all that mattered. She put the photo back in her pocket and slung on her coat.

"Are you ready?" she shouted upstairs to Charlotte. In response Charlotte came bounding down the stairs and came to a halt in front of Buffy where she froze. "That coat…"she started, looking at it with familiarity.

Buffy looked down and realised that she had put on the wrong coat. Instead of picking up her own coat she had picked up Spike's duster, the one he had left behind when he was in such a hurry to leave the house ten years ago after he had tried to attack her. She had never worn it in front of Charlotte but Charlotte obviously recognised it from her dreams. 

"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "It's the one the man wears in your dreams."

"Who is he? Do you know him?" Charlotte asked, full of new questions.

"Yes I did know him." Buffy told her. "He was the nicest person you could ever meet. He's related to your father, William."

Buffy wasn't telling her the whole truth yet. She was too young to know that the vampire who fought Buffy so often in her dreams was actually her father. 

"How come you've never told me before? Why have you never told me that the man in my dreams is someone you know?" Charlotte pressed, trying to get as much information out of her mum as possible. Buffy had to admit, Charlotte had a very old mind for somebody so young. She reminded Buffy of herself at that age. Always the wise one, she was, full of questions and when she had a bee in her bonnet she would never let it go until she knew the whole story.

"It's complicated Charlie; I'll tell you when you're older."

Charlotte whined. She was fed up of being too young to understand.

"But Mum…"

It didn't fool Buffy. "But nothing. You're too young to hear the whole story so don't argue with me. Now come on or you'll be late." With that Buffy grabbed her car keys and Charlotte followed her mum out of the house and to the car.

_Remind me to ask about this every week or else I'll never know the truth, _Charlotte thought to herself. _Honestly, she thinks I'm stupid!_

Charlotte had been at the park all day with her best friend Jade and her mum. Buffy had left hours ago saying she had "things to do that were not for a child's eyes." In other words, patrolling. Charlotte didn't know why she patrolled during the day. After all, vampires only came out at night otherwise they would end up being a big pile of dust. That was one of the things the man in her dreams said. Jades mum had given them each some money and sent them to the ice cream van. They had each bought a '99 ice cream and were on their way back to the play area, happily eating their ice creams and chatting. 

"My Uncle Xander used to be an ice cream van man." Charlotte told Jade. He wasn't really her uncle. She didn't actually have an uncle but Buffy had insisted that Xander take up the role. As the two girls rounded the corner a tall man came around, not noticing the girls, and walked straight into Charlotte, knocking the ice cream out of her hand.

"Hey!" Charlotte shouted. "Watch where you're going, mister."

The strange man bent down to her height, picking up the ice cream cone and putting it in the bin.

"You've got a bit of an attitude for such a small girl, ain't ya?" he stated, rather than asking. 

Charlotte grinned slightly. "My mum says I take after my father, but I don't know. I've never met him, you see. She says he had an attitude problem."

The man smiled and Charlotte looked at him closely. He looked familiar but she couldn't tell where she'd seen him before. He had brown hair with blonde tips, wore a blue shirt with black jeans and wore a ring on his right thumb. "You look familiar." She told him. "What's your name?"

"My name's William. What's yours, lil' bit?"

Charlotte giggled at the name he called her. "I'm Charlotte. My friends call me Charlie but I like Lil' bit. I think it's cute." 

William smiled. She reminded him of Buffy and Dawn Summers for some reason, he didn't know why.

"I used to call a girl I know Lil' Bit. She liked it too. She was called Dawn." He told her.

"I have an Auntie Dawn but she's at Law school at the moment." Charlotte said, beginning to like this man called William.

William stood up and reached around in his pocket for some change.

"Here, let me buy you another ice cream and we can have a chat." He offered. He wanted to know more about this little girl as he found something about her strangely familiar.

Charlotte and William queued up for two ice creams and went and sat on a park bench to eat them. Jade had gone back to her mum as she was always told not to talk to strangers. Charlotte was always told the same by her mum but there was something different about William. Even though she had only just met him she felt as though she had known him all her life.

"So, you've never met your dad then?" William asked, getting the conversation started.

"No." Charlotte said. "He left suddenly before anyone knew about me." If there was one thing that Charlotte could ask her dad she would ask why he left so suddenly.

William shook his head in disapproval, knowing that if he had a daughter like Charlotte, he would never leave. Charlotte's father had missed out on watching his little girl grow up.

"What does your mum think about him leaving?" He asked. He knew he was being nosy but he was interested. 

"I don't know." Charlotte answered. "But I think she misses him."

William raised his eyebrows with interest. "Why's that then, Luv?"

"Well, whenever I talk about him she always goes dead quiet and once I found her crying. This morning she came downstairs wearing this leather coat. It was exactly the same as the one the man wears in my dreams. She tried to tell me that someone related to my dad left it in a hurry to get out of the house. I don't believe her though. I think it's my dad's coat." Charlotte explained.

William laughed softly at her long explanation. The girl had a good mind for thinking, he had to give her that. "So, you have dreams with a strange man in?" He asked her.

Charlotte nodded as she finished off her ice cream. "Yeah. They always involve my mum and this weird man I've never met with bleached hair. I think he's my dad."

William got up and Charlotte followed him as they walked back to Jade and her mum. "You'd better be going home Nibblet." He said to her, wanting to make a good impression on the woman looking after her.

"Can I see you again William?" Charlotte asked, taking him by surprise. William thought for a moment, not wanting to give her his address in case it fell into the wrong hands. Finally he came up with an idea. "Yeah, 'course you can. How 'bout we meet here again, same time, same day?"

Charlotte nodded. "That'll be fine. I come here every Wednesday with Jade anyway. See you then."

William began to walk away, thinking about Charlotte. She had dreams of her mum fighting with a man with bleached hair? That sounded very familiar but it couldn't possibly mean anything. She'd have recognised him if it had. He continued walking and just before he turned the corner out of sight he shouted to Charlotte. "And Nibblet? Call me Spike."

Charlotte arrived home from the park just after tea to find her mum down in the basement doing the washing. 

"Hey Sweetie. Have a good time today?" she asked as she carried on ironing.

"Yeah." Said Charlotte, sitting down on the bottom step as she talked to her mum. "I met this really nice man called William who bought me an ice cream and called me Nibblet."

Buffy stopped ironing for a second. Surely it couldn't be who she thought it was. She only knew one person who called people Nibblet and that was Spike. Still, she had to be sure.

"What did he look like Charlie?" she asked, starting to panic.

"Well, he was quite tall, had brown hair and wore a blue shirt and black jeans." Charlotte described to Buffy. Buffy's heart pounded with relief when Charlotte said he had brown hair. It couldn't possibly be Spike. Spike had bleached hair and there was no way he would ever change it. She didn't even know what his natural colouring was. Buffy carried on with the washing as Charlotte filled her in on the events of the day.

"Oh no! I've run out of washing powder and look at that huge pile of washing that needs doing. Will you be alright here for five minutes if I pop out and get some?" Buffy asked, cursing herself for letting it run out.

Charlotte nodded and Buffy grabbed her car keys, kissed Charlotte on the head and dashed out of the house. Buffy had only been gone two minutes when there was a knock at the door. Charlotte walked upstairs from the basement and looked through the spy hole on the door to see who it was. Surprised by who she saw she opened the door.

"Charlotte? What are you doing here?" asked an equally surprised Spike from the doorstep.

"Duh, I live here. What are you doing here?" she answered, intrigued by what he was doing here if he hadn't come to see her.

Spike thought for a moment, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Ermm… I came to see somebody but obviously she doesn't live here anymore because you're here." He answered. He felt stupid. He had finally plucked up the courage to come and see Buffy after all these years to find that she had moved on.

Charlotte stood back so that he could enter and he walked in and sat on the couch. _Strange, _he thought as he looked around, _this place hasn't changed a bit. _

"So, who did you come looking for?" Charlotte asked, sitting on the table facing him.

"An old friend of mine." He explained to her. "She's called Buffy Summers."

Charlotte looked at him as though he was stupid.

"What?" he asked, demanding to know what was going on.

"You said you've come to see Buffy."

Spike nodded.

"She still lives here."

"Excuse me?" Spike asked, not quite registering what Charlotte had said.

"She still lives here." Charlotte repeated. "She has done all my life."

_No wonder the girl reminds me of Buffy_, he thought, _she lives with her. _Charlotte heard her mum's car pull up on the drive way outside and rushed out to warn her about Spike.

"Charlotte, what's up?" Buffy asked as she climbed out of the jeep.

"There's a man inside, come to see you. Claims he's an old friend of yours." Charlotte told Buffy in a rush.

Buffy frowned, wondering who it could be. Then she remembered the man Charlotte had met who called her Nibblet.

"Spike," Buffy muttered as she walked towards the house, leaving her shopping in the car. Buffy's walk quickened into a run as she burst through the door. Spike stood up in shock as he looked at her.

Five minutes went by and neither person moved, preferring to stare at each other. The first thing Buffy noticed about him was that his hair was indeed brown. Spike was the first to speak, breaking the silence. "Buffy…Hey." He said but was cut off by Buffy running over and hugging him. Spike was a little thrown by the gesture but soon returned the hug. It felt good to have her back in his arms again. 

"Ah-hem!" Charlotte cleared her throat and Buffy and Spike parted.

"Charlotte, could you go upstairs and play for a bit? Me and Spike need to have a little talk." Buffy asked, wanting a little time alone with Spike to talk. 

"Yeah, whatever." Charlotte said as she made her way upstairs to her room, leaving the Vampire and the Slayer alone.

"So," Spike asked, "How've you been?"

"Busy, you?"

"Human."

Buffy's eyes widened. "You're human?"

Spike nodded as Buffy placed her hand over his heart to feel his heartbeat. "I have been for ten years."

Buffy smiled as she felt his pulse, placing her head on his chest. _Something's missing, _she thought.

"You've quit smoking haven't you?" she asked. She could no longer smell tobacco on him.

"Yeah, I quit as soon as I became human, figured it was the best thing to do."

Spike filled Buffy in on his trip to Africa and how he had been living in London ever since.

"So, who's Charlotte then?" He had wanted to ask that question as soon as he saw Buffy.

"I don't know how you're going to take this." Buffy said to Spike, trying to start the conversation.

"Try me and find out." Spike offered.

"Well, she's…" Buffy started, but broke off, not sure how to say it.

"She's?" Spike prodded.

"She's my daughter."

Nothing had prepared Spike for the answer that he heard. _She's her daughter? _He thought, not quite believing it. The he remembered what Charlotte had been like in the park. She had reminded him so much of Buffy with the things she said and did. Even the way she looked reminded him of Buffy. She had the same unmistakable Summers' nose and mousy brown hair. Even though Spike had only ever seen Buffy with blonde hair he knew that it was not her natural colouring. 

Spike broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them.

"She's your daughter?"

Buffy nodded and confirmed it to Spike.

"How old is she?" he asked, not knowing what to say.

"She's 10 years old. She was born on the 21st January 2002 and is called Charlotte Joyce Summers." Buffy explained, telling him some extra details. Buffy had chosen her middle name to be Joyce after her mum. Charlotte had never got to meet Joyce but Buffy had told her many stories about how wonderful her grandmother was.

Spike swallowed loudly. There was one question left that he so desperately wanted to ask but couldn't find the courage to. 

As if she was reading his mind Buffy brought the subject up. 

"There's something we need to talk about. It's about her father." She said, dreading what was about to happen. She knew that there was no way Spike would believe what she was about to tell him.

Spike laughed sarcastically. "What do you want to talk to me about him for? Why don't you talk to the man who left you both? Wouldn't that be better?" Spike was upset and was letting it show. Buffy had finally moved on with her life and had forgotten all about him in the ten years he had been gone.

Buffy sighed and put her head in her hands.

"Spike, listen." She told him. "I know you're not gonna believe what I'm about to say but try to, please."

"Hold on," Spike interrupted, "If she's 10 years old and born on that date that must mean you were seeing someone else at the same time you were seeing me."

There was a look of pure disgust on his face that made Buffy wince, even though she wasn't guilty of his accusation. That was NOT what Buffy had expected to hear.

"What?!?" She asked with a tone that denied the accusation. "No!"

Spike wasn't stupid. It all added up correctly; the birthday and her age. It was no wonder that he thought of Buffy when he first met Charlotte in the park. She was her daughter. 

"Well, how else did she come along then? Children don't just magically appear when you feel like it!" He snapped. He was getting angry now and Buffy was getting upset. Spike could see the tears forming in her eyes and automatically felt guilty. He got up and went to where she was sat. He sat down next to her and put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, pet. I didn't mean to snap. I just, don't know what to say." Spike explained with an apologetic look on his face.

Buffy hated him for that. Even when he had been a vampire he had had those adorable puppy dog eyes that could melt butter and get him whatever he wanted. After a few minutes of silence Spike asked the question that Buffy was dreading answering.

"So, who is her father then?"

Buffy sighed and held his hand even tighter, wanting him to trust her in what she was about to say.

"Don't ask me why cause it's something to do with a prophecy that I don't understand, even now. But Charlotte's father? Well, it sounds unrealistic but, it's you."

Once again Spike was lost for words as what Buffy had just said began to sink in. He wasn't sure whether he believed her, but then again, why would she lie about something as serious as that? If there was one thing that he had learned about Buffy in the few years that he had known her it was that she didn't lie unless it were completely necessary.

"How? What prophecy? It can't be true cause I was a vampire back then, surely." He said, not believing it.

Buffy shook her head. "I never believed it possible either but Giles checked it out. A prophecy about a female warrior and a vampire with a soul. If you don't believe me ask Angel cause it happened to him too." She explained.

"Hang on," Spike said "A vampire with a soul? I didn't have a soul then." He was as puzzled as Buffy had been at the time of the event.

"I don't know, honestly, I don't." Buffy apologized. She had never been any good with the thinking, which had always been Giles' department. Giles had found out about the prophecy, not Buffy.

"But I'm absolutely positive that Charlotte is your daughter." She told him, very adamant of the fact.

Realisation began to dawn on Spike as the truth that he was a father began to sink in. Buffy looked into his eyes and when he looked back he knew she was telling the truth.

"Does…does she know?" Spike asked.

"Buffy shook her head. "No, I've never told her. I just kept hoping that one day you'd return so we could both tell her. Although she does have these dreams about you. I'm surprised she's not recognised you already."

Spike nodded, understanding her point of view. It was strange that when he was talking to Charlotte in the park he had felt something between them. A bond. Never in a million years would he have thought that Charlotte was his daughter. It was something that he had never have thought possible.

"So, when are you gonna tell her about me? Or are you not going to?" He asked her.

"Buffy looked shocked at what he had just said.

"What?!?!? Of course I'm gonna tell her! She has the right to know."

Spike had missed out on watching Charlotte grow up in the first 10 years of her life and he wanted to be around from now on. It would be interesting to see if Charlotte would turn out to be just like Buffy.

Before Spike could say anything else there was a loud thud as Charlotte landed at the bottom of the stairs.

"Charlotte, what have I told you about jumping the stairs?" Buffy asked with a scolding tone in her voice that made Charlotte look guilty immediately. 

"Sorry mum." Charlotte said quietly, heading into the kitchen to make herself a drink.

Spike smiled to himself. "You've got a good way with kids." He told her. "You know how to tell her off without being too hard on her."

Buffy shrugged. "You have to be that way when you're a single mother."

Instantly, Buffy's remark hurt Spikes feelings and he shot her a look.

"Ok, I'm sorry. That wasn't necessary." She said apologetically. Things just got on top of Buffy sometimes and she couldn't help but snap unnecessarily at people.

"You can stay here tonight if you want but I'm not telling her tonight." Buffy offered.

Spike agreed and as Buffy went off to get some blankets for the couch Charlotte walked in carrying two hot chocolates with marshmallows on the top.

"Here," she said, handing the drink to Spike, "Thought you might like this. It's my favourite."

Spike took the drink off Charlotte and smiled to himself.

"My Grandma Joyce used to make these for people. It was her speciality." Charlotte told Spike as she sipped the hot chocolate. 

Spike remembered her making them for him as though it were yesterday.

"Yeah, I know." He said fondly. He had liked Joyce.

Charlotte gave him a questioning look, an expression Buffy often used, and so he explained. "She used to make them for me. It was my favourite too."

At that moment Buffy walked back into the room carrying a pillow and a set of blankets for Spike.

"I'm alright; I can sleep on the floor or go check out my crypt." Spike said, not wanting to cause any trouble.

Buffy shook her head. "No, you're different now. Sleeping in that place won't do you any good."

"Ok, if you insist." Spike grinned. "You know, to save the trouble of making a bed up, I could always sleep in your…."

Buffy cut him off. "If you even dream of finishing that sentence I will personally kill you, human or not." She threatened before remembering that Charlotte was in the room listening to every word they said.

Spike seemed to remember this at the exact same time and in an effort to help Buffy out he said "She doesn't mean it."

Buffy glared at him when Charlotte wasn't looking, as if to say "Don't push me."

Spike finished his hot chocolate and started to make the couch up for the night.

"How long are you staying with us?" Charlotte asked, totally oblivious to everything that was going on.

"I don't know pet." Spike glanced at Buffy as he answered. They would have to tell Charlotte the truth sooner or later. For a 10 year old she was pretty smart and would figure out what was going on sooner or later.

"Come on Charlotte. Off you go to bed. It's way past your bedtime." Buffy said whilst leading Charlotte up the stairs, leaving Spike alone.

Ten minutes later, having put Charlotte to bed, Buffy was back. Spike noticed that she had changed into a tank top and pyjama bottoms, obviously ready for bed.

"Everything ok down here?" She asked. There was a slight nervous tone to her voice as if being alone with Spike scared her. Spike didn't blame her. The last time they had been alone like this had been ten years ago. Spike had come to apologize for something but ended up hurting her in the worst way imaginable. Spike shuddered at the memory, disgusted at what he had done and hating the part of him that had once been William the Bloody.

"Yeah, fine thanks." Who was he kidding? Things weren't fine. Things would _never be fine between them again after what he had done to Buffy. And now he was Charlotte's father. It was a miracle Buffy hadn't staked him the minute she saw him sat on the couch._

"Right, goodnight then." Buffy said and headed upstairs to bed. 

As soon as she was out of sight Spike broke down. He had come back to Sunnydale ten years later to apologize to find out that he was a father and had missed out on ten years of his beautiful daughters' life. And what's more, Buffy didn't even hold it against him for leaving when he had caused her so much pain. He didn't deserve Charlotte or Buffy for what he had done. He didn't deserve any of it.

In the morning Spike woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs cooking in the kitchen. Getting up from his makeshift bed he straightened himself out from a rough nights sleep and walked into the kitchen where he greeted Buffy and Charlotte.

"Mornin'." He said, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

Buffy smiled at him. "Morning!" She replied, definitely in a better mood than she was the previous night.

Charlotte walked around the breakfast bar to where Spike was stood, wafting a plate of bacon, sausage, eggs and toast under his nose. Spike had to admit that it did smell and look delicious.

"Eat up." Charlotte said as she put the plate down on the breakfast bar.

Spike reluctantly pulled up a chair and started to eat his breakfast. Within five minutes the plate was spotless.

"Wow," Buffy said, surprised, "You were hungry."

Spike nodded as he took the plate to the sink to wash up. 

"Charlotte, why don't you go and get dressed?" Buffy insisted rather than asked.

Charlotte nodded and headed up to her bedroom, knowing that her mum wanted to talk to Spike alone. Once she was gone Buffy spoke.

"I was kind of thinking of telling her today." She told Spike. The sooner they got it over with the better for all of them. 

Spike agreed. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

Both Buffy and Spike were silent for a few minutes before Spike spoke up, breaking the silence in the room. "So, how are we gonna tell her?" He asked.

Buffy shook her head. She was at a loss as to how they were gonna tell Charlotte that Spike was her father. Whatever they said there was a large chance that Charlotte wasn't going to take the news well. How did you tell a ten year old girl that the man she's made friends with is actually her father? 

Finally they came up with a plan. They would get a take-away in and all sit down to eat it together. During the meal Buffy would bring up the subject and hopefully pluck up the courage to tell her. 

That night Spike ordered Chinese for him, Buffy and Charlotte. It wasn't a school night so it gave them as long as they wanted to tell Charlotte the news about her father.

"So, what's the occasion?" Charlotte asked, curious. It wasn't often that they had take-away so there must have been a reason. 

Buffy glanced at Spike and he nodded, reading her mind. It was time to tell her.

"Actually, we wanted to take to you about something. _Someone, _even." Buffy told her.

"Who?" She asked. Buffy felt sorry for Charlotte. She had never known her father and now they were about to spring this big news upon her.

"Your dad." Buffy answered.

Charlotte made a little "oh" shape with her mouth but no sound came out. Spike sensed that it was something they didn't talk about very often.

"Well," Buffy started, looking at Spike the whole time "You know the man in your dreams?" She asked.

Charlotte nodded.

"Well, that's your father. I've never told you before because I thought you were too young to understand." She explained to a confused looking Charlotte.

"Does Spike have something to do with it?" Charlotte asked. She had noticed the two of them looking at each other and figured out that something was going on.

Spike looked at Buffy with such a panic stricken face that Buffy almost burst out laughing. He did look quite funny under the circumstances. However, she kept a straight face and answered Charlotte's question.

"Yeah he does. Look at him. Does he look familiar?"

Charlotte shook her head.

"Imagine him with bleached hair." Buffy helped her out by giving her a clue.

Realisation dawned on Charlottes face after a few minutes of looking at him. 

"Spike's the man in my dreams." Charlotte stated. "That means… Spike's my father."

"Spike's my father?" Charlotte asked. She was quite taken aback by the revelation and she didn't quite know what to say.

Buffy nodded. "Yes he is."

Spike looked at Charlotte who was in turn looking at him. 


	2. Authors Note

A/N: Hi, Thank you sooo much for reviewing my story. I've got really good reviews, something I didn't expect! So I am very happy.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, not me. I'm just borrowing the characters. Charlotte is mine.

New chapter should be up soon. Still working on it but I'm v.busy at the mo. Keep checking back for more.

And I'm sorry about leaving you on a cliffhanger!


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for waiting for the new chapter. I hope it's worth it. I kind of did it in a rush because I have two stories to write at the same time. Carry on reviewing, good or bad and thanks for reading!

There was a long silence. Almost a minute passed as Spike and Charlotte sat there staring at each other. Buffy had expected her to say something sarcastic, like she herself would have done if she was in the same position.

The silence was extremely uncomfortable. _I can't sit here like this any longer, _Buffy thought.

"So, anyone for afters?" _That was the best I could come up with? She thought._

Finally, Charlotte spoke up. "So where have you been all this time?" She asked him. From the look on Spikes face he didn't want to answer that question, at least not to Charlotte.

"Oh, you know, I've been around. I had some work to do abroad."

Buffy laughed at this. Spike's idea of work was sitting around all day in front of the television watching that awful "Passions" and "Dawson's Creek."

"Abroad? Doing what?" Charlotte asked. It was obvious that Charlotte wasn't going to give up so easily. She was a very inquisitive child.

Buffy could see the clocks ticking inside Spike's brain as he tried to come up with an answer that was as far from the truth as possible and would satisfy Charlotte.

"I was a chef in a restaurant in London," was the answer he came up with.

Buffy smirked, knowing she had one over on Spike. "You'll have to impress us with your culinary expertise one day." She said, knowing full well he couldn't cook to save his life.

"Yeah," Spike glared at Buffy, "That will be fun." He glanced at Charlotte and noticed that she had tears in her eyes, upset that no one was taking her seriously. His look softened and he shuffled along the couch to put his arms around her. "I know I haven't been around for much of your life, but I do love you, and I'm never gonna leave you again." he told her as he wiped a tear away that was sliding down her cheek.

Buffy stood up. She hated to break the emotional reunion but it was time Charlotte went to bed. "Charlotte, its way past your bedtime, you can see your father tomorrow." She said, to no avail. Charlotte stayed firmly in Spikes arms not wanting to let go.

Spike glanced at Buffy and whispered "I'll take her." Scooping Charlotte up into his arms he carried her upstairs and into her bedroom where he placed her in bed, pulling the covers over her. Charlotte spoke up and said "I've missed you Dad."

Spike smiled happily as he looked at his beautiful daughter who was just like her mother. "I've missed you too, L'il Bit." He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, falling asleep with a smile on her face. Spike stayed with her until she was fast asleep. He kissed her one last time and left the room. "Goodnight, Nibblet." He said softly.

*****

Half an hour later, Spike came back downstairs. Buffy had cleared the dishes away and was sat watching T.V. As soon as she saw Spike she turned it off.

"That was beautiful, what you did, what you said." She said. "I think she likes you."

Spike smiled. "Well it's true. I did miss her, even though I didn't know. I missed watching her grow up. But I also missed you too."

This was what Buffy had been waiting for. She had missed him more than anything, but never liked admitting it to herself. Not after he tried to rape her. Buffy looked into Spikes eyes which were full of life, something he never used to have when he was a vampire. "I missed you too."

Before she could stop herself, she was leaning closer to him and to her surprise he was too, until they were so close they could fell each others breath. Finally, their lips met, and they kissed, Spikes lips warm and gentle as opposed to being cold, like all those years ago. 

The kiss seemed to last a lifetime and eventually, they broke off. 

Buffy looked at Spike, smiling and said "I love you."

Spike kissed her on the lips gently. "I love you too."

*****

From her position on the stairs, Charlotte smiled. She had seen everything. For once in her life everything was perfect. Her father was here and her parents were back together. Satisfied, she crept back up the stairs to bed, careful not to disturb her parents. She would wait and find out what happened in the morning.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi. Ok, I know this is only a short chapter but I wanted to post something for you. Plus it gives me a little extra time to work on the next one which should be up sometime near Friday hopefully. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Any story suggestions are always welcome. Feel free. Luv Arwen.

When Buffy awoke the next morning she found herself lying on the couch with Spike. 

She pulled herself gently away from him, trying not to wake him and sat up. However, she didn't succeed.

"Mornin' Luv." He said, yawning.

"Hey. Want some breakfast?" Buffy asked groggily. She hadn't got much sleep last night. Neither had Spike for that matter, yet he still managed to look bright and refreshed.

"Never mind breakfast…" he said as he pulled her towards her and kissed her. Bufyf knew they shouldn't but it felt so right.

"A-hem!" 

Buffy and Spike practically leapt of the couch to see Charlotte stood at the bottom of the stairs in her pyjamas, smirking, a look that she had definitely inherited from her father. 

"How long have you been standing there?" Spike asked, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught by Charlotte.

"Long enough." she said. "Look, as much as I love the idea that you're back together, I'd prefer it if you kept that stuff upstairs."

Buffy was shocked. "Charlotte Summers!" she shouted. "Go and get dressed right now and then come back for your breakfast. And wipe that smirk off your face right now!" That was no way for a 10 year old to act around her parents.

Charlotte ran upstairs, not daring to argue with her mum.

"Don't you think you were a bit hard on her Luv?" Spike asked.

"No, you have to be hard sometimes. We don't want her walking in on us again do we? Plus, it got rid of her for a bit." Buffy explained, smiling. Spike grinned.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi, sorry about the wait for the new chapter. As you will read in a bit, it is five years later, so Charlotte is 15 (should be interesting!). I also took notice of your comments and I'm adding some other scoobies to the story. But you'll see who when you read it. As always, thanks for your reviews and carry on reading. Your support is greatly appreciated! And you HAVE to review! He he. You don't have to if you don't want, but it would be nice. Thanks a bunch. Luv Arwen XXXXX

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_5 years later – __Charlotte__ is 15_

It was the worst day ever. After 2 months of summer holidays, Charlotte was going back to school. To make it even worse, Spike had insisted on driving her to school in his old black car that he had had for years. It looked a state; black windows that had been painted over, paint chipped off the sides and it was all bashed in around the back. To anybody who didn't know Spike, the car was a wreck that was in dire need of being crushed. A piece of old junk was the only way to describe it, but to Spike however, it was his most prized possession. 

It had been 5 years since Spike had arrived back on the scene, claiming both his daughter and her mother. Buffy and Spike were living happily together under one roof with Charlotte, who was now 15 years old. Charlotte was the spitting image of Buffy: long wavy blonde hair (she had persuaded Buffy to let her have highlights), she was quite petite but remarkably strong and she was very beautiful. This factor got her a lot of attention at school off the boys, something Spike didn't like. He didn't like the idea of boys looking at his daughter. 

So here they were, sat outside Sunnydale High School which had reopened when Charlotte was just a baby.

"So, pick me up at three?" Charlotte asked. Spike nodded and Charlotte got out of the car. He watched her walk up the steps to meet a group of friends; two girls and a boy. To his annoyance, the boy made straight for Charlotte, taking her arm in his and leading her off into school.

_Mental note to self, _he thought, _Have a quiet talk with __Charlotte__ when she gets home._

_*****_

As promised, Spike picked Charlotte up from school at three. Arriving home, Charlotte walked through the door and headed for the stairs, hoping to crash in her room for a few hours and listen to some music. However, before she could get any further, her Dad spoke.

"Charlotte, can we talk for a few minutes while your mum is out?"

_Uh-oh, _she thought, _this looks ominous_

_"_Yeah, sure." She said, turning around and walking into the living room, where she promptly collapsed on the couch. "What's up?"

Spike sat opposite her. Clearing his throat, he began. "Charlotte…well….you're 15 years old now."

Charlotte laughed. "Well, state the obvious."

Spike glared at her. He was having a hard enough time doing this as it was without her making it harder. When he had her attention, he continued. "Well, you're 15 and you're very pretty and, unless you haven't noticed, you've got a lot of boys hanging around you like puppy dogs."

"They're just friends, Dad." Charlotte said, knowing where this was leading. She was getting "the Talk".

"You might think they're just that." He said, "But sometimes, all they can think about at that age are their hormones. I know, I've been through it."

"I'm fine dad; I know how to handle it." Charlotte was feeling uncomfortable. She had never even had this talk from Buffy, yet alone Spike. Coming from him, the whole situation seemed funny.

Spike nodded. "I know you can. I just… don't want to see you make the same mistakes as you're mother did with Angel. She was close to your age when that happened. Do you understand me?"

"Don't worry, Dad," Charlotte smiled, "I'll be fine."

Before Spike had the chance to say anything else, Buffy came through the door, having finished work for the day. Buffy worked in Sunnydale Gym as a fitness instructor as fitness was something Buffy didn't lack.

"Hey, have fun at school?" she asked Charlotte, kissing her on the cheek. 

Charlotte nodded. Sure, she had had fun with her friends, but the lessons were as boring as ever. _Stupid Calculus, _she thought.

"Hey you two, guess what?" Buffy asked with huge smile on her face.

"What?" asked Spike and Charlotte simultaneously. 

"Willow's coming over to visit. She'll be here in two days!"


	6. Another authors notei'm v sorry!

A/N: Hello readers. I am terribly sorry that I haven't updated for at least a week. I've been very busy with school, having to sort out exam results and helping out at parent's evenings by taking drinks to the teachers for 3 hours. Much rather be writing stories for you!

Anyway, I will post another chapter soon. 

Thanks for reviewing again and keep on reviewing because your positive comments really help me write. Any suggestions and I'm glad to hear them. Your great reviews have made me laugh because my English teacher says I lack imagination and can't write stories to save my life! I think I've proved her wrong!!!

Carry on checking back for more. Hope you like the idea of Charlotte being 15 now. She's much easier to write at that age because I'm only a year older than her myself (not that I'm basing her one me!)

Ok, be back soon. Keep smilin'!

Luv Arwen.

P.s. In the meantime, why not check out my Frodo/ Sam story called "Never Forget You." 


	7. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi, sorry about the wait for the new chapter. Hope you like where I'm going with this story. I still have a long long way to go yet. The ideas just keep coming into my head. Anyway, keep on reviewing. They've been great so far. Thanks to all of you. Ok, I don't know when the next chapter will be up because I'm also working on my Lord of the Rings story which is also on Fanfiction.net. If you feel bored and want to check it out feel free. It's called "Never Forget You" and is about Frodo and Sam's friendship. 30 reviews for it and they're all good. Sorry, bit of advertising for me there! Ok, remember to look back for more soon. 

Lots of Love, Arwen

So it was announced. Willow was coming to visit Buffy, Spike and Charlotte in 2 days. 15 years ago, Willow had moved away to England to live with a group of witches. They had helped her take control of her powers again after she had killed Warren, teaching her to only use them for good purposes. She had gone to live with them as her recovery had been excellent and she felt the need to be around people who understood her powers for the good they served, rather than the bad. Willow often visited Sunnydale, as she missed her friends, especially Charlotte. Willow was particularly fond of Charlotte and treated her like her like her own. She would never let anything bad happen to her as long as she lived. However, Willow didn't know who her father was. It was something that Buffy had never wanted to discuss with her, saying it brought back painful memories.

Willow knew that Spike was back and had been for a few years. Granted, at first she didn't like the idea but when she visited and saw the new improved version, she couldn't help but smile. Spike had proved more than often that he loved both Buffy and Charlotte to bits and would never let anything happen to them both. The human Spike was definitely better that the un-dead Spike.

Willow was sat on the plane, staring out of the window and looking at the city of Los Angeles that lay below her. In a few hours she would be in Sunnydale, Her home. 

_Boy will I be glad to get off this plane, _she thought.

"So, what time's Will gonna be here?" Charlotte asked, her mouth full of food.

Buffy glanced at the clock. "It should be anytime soon actually." She glanced at her daughter. "Are you sure you should be eating that much? We're ordering takeaway as soon as Willow gets here."

Charlotte looked at the counter in front of her. Sprawled all over the worktop were packets of chocolate, a tub of ice cream and a big bag of Doritos. She nodded. "Ok, I'll stop."

As Charlotte was bent down putting the ice cream back in the freezer, the doorbell rang. "That'll be Willow. I'll get it." Buffy said as she pushed past her to get to the door.

Buffy pulled open the door. There, stood out in the awful Sunnydale rain, was a soaking wet Willow. "Hi," she said, rain dripping off her nose.

"Welcome home." Said Buffy.


	8. Chapter 6

A/N: Hi, I'm back. I know I've been away for a while but I've been busy and haven't had time to write much. Ok, this chapter is going to be a short one cause I'm just posting it to make you happy and to keep you occupied while I write more. I must admit, Charlotte is a bit based on me as you will see in the next few chapters. For example, the sort of music I like and the subjects I like at school. But in other ways she is different. I'm gonna post another one of my finished stories soon which I actually wrote about 2 years ago. It's still a B/S one but it is quite sad at the end. Also I was going through the phase where I loved the musical Miss Saigon (which I still adore) and Moulin Rouge (which is one of my fave films). Anyway, enough from me and on with the story!

"Come in, come in." Buffy said, ushering Willow inside. Willow took her bags through to the living room and hung her coat up in the living room to dry. Going into the kitchen she saw Charlotte. 

"Charlie! How's my favourite niece?" Willow cried, hugging Charlotte.

"I'm fine thanks." Charlotte answered as Willow finally let her go, enabling her to breathe. What was it with everyone and such strong hugs?

Willow smiled and started rummaging around her handbag. "I have a little present in here for you somewhere…" she said as she hunted around. "Aha!" She pulled out a paper bag and handed it to Charlotte. 

Charlotte smiled and accepted the present, carefully unwrapping it and revealing a necklace inside a clear jewellery case. It was beautiful. Inside the case was a sterling silver necklace with a treble clef pendant, encrusted with tiny diamonds. 

"Oh my…" Charlotte stuttered, unable to get words out of her mouth. "This must have cost a fortune!"

Willow smiled. "I've been saving up. A little bird told me that you were singing in the National Youth Voice Contest so I thought you'd need a little luck."

Charlotte grinned. "Thanks a lot, Will!" She exclaimed, hugging Willow tighter than ever. Through all her troubles Willow was still one of Charlottes best friends and the necklace told her so. 

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A/N: Ok, I know it was short. I have a treble clef pendant which gave me the inspiration for the present and the fact that Charlotte is a singer is also based on me because I have been singing all my life. Thanks for reading. More up soon and please please please review. Loadsa love from Arwen


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